Chapter 10: The Shard's Weight
The walk back to Kaede's village is quiet.
Even Inuyasha keeps his voice low, ears twitching more than usual, like he's listening for something no one else can hear. Sango and Miroku trail just behind, their pace steady but subdued. The tension from the battle still clings to them—smoke and ash in their lungs, the memory of Kagome's collapse still fresh in their minds.
Kagome says nothing the whole way back. She carries the shard carefully, wrapped in a strip of cloth and tucked close to her chest like it might bite if held the wrong way. It hasn't stopped pulsing—not fully. A faint, rhythmic throb of energy hums beneath the silk, like a heartbeat that isn't hers.
By the time they pass under the village's wooden archway, the sky has begun to darken. A wash of warm orange light spills over the rooftops, casting long shadows across the dirt paths. The scent of woodsmoke drifts through the air.
Kaede meets them outside her hut. Her sharp eyes flick quickly over each of them, lingering the longest on Kagome.
"You've found one," she says, more a statement than a question.
Kagome nods, unwrapping the cloth and laying the shard gently on a flat stone beside the fire pit. The others gather around as Kaede leans in to study it.
Even dimmed by purification, the shard still looks wrong—darker than it should be, like the energy inside it is twisted and tangled. Kaede doesn't touch it.
"I hit it with everything I had," Kagome says quietly. "But it didn't purify the way it used to. It was like it… resisted me."
Kaede's brow furrows.
"It didn't just carry the youkai's strength," she murmurs. "This one carries something else."
Before she can say more, a familiar, high-pitched voice pipes up from the window sill.
"Oh dear, oh dear—that didn't take long at all!"
Myōga materializes in his usual flurry of nerves, hopping down onto the stone with a dramatic sigh.
"You've encountered one already? I feared this would happen."
Inuyasha narrows his eyes. "What do you mean already? What do you know, flea?"
Myōga folds his arms, puffing up a little. "I've been gathering information since the jewel fractured. And I've learned something very troubling." He gestures to the shard. "These aren't ordinary pieces of the Shikon Jewel. They're new. Changed."
Sango steps closer, frowning. "Changed how?"
Myōga hops to the edge of the stone, voice solemn.
"When the Shikon shattered again, it wasn't like last time. The jewel didn't just break—it fractured while it was still full of spiritual energy. Full of memories. Desire. Desperation. Pain." He turns to Kagome. "Each shard that was formed during that moment carries more than power. It carries impressions—from people, places, even emotions. They're echoes. Reflections."
Kagome's fingers tighten around her sleeve.
"That's why it felt so strong," she says. "It wasn't just the youkai. The shard itself… it felt alive."
Myōga nods gravely. "Alive, yes—but not sentient. Just… reactive. Like a mirror with no understanding of what it reflects. If left in one place too long, the shard starts affecting everything around it. The longer someone stays near one, the more it seeps into them."
There's a heavy pause.
Sango and Miroku exchange a glance—both remembering the village with the shrine. The people who were falling ill. The stories of lost loved ones appearing in the forest.
"It wasn't just grief," Sango says, her voice low. "It was the shard."
Kagome's shoulders stiffen.
"And the memory I saw…" She swallows hard, staring at the shard like it might speak. "I don't know if it came from me—or if it was something the shard pulled from inside. But it felt like something that had been waiting."
She doesn't repeat what the memory was. She doesn't have to.
The silence stretches. Inuyasha doesn't look at her, but his hand is tense where it rests on Tessaiga's hilt.
"It felt unfinished," she continues. "Like something that never got to be said. A goodbye that never really ended."
Kaede leans back, her expression thoughtful but concerned. "That kind of residue can be dangerous. Especially to those most sensitive to it."
"It's not just spiritual energy," Myōga adds. "It's spiritual memory."
Kagome looks down at her hands. They're steady now—but her chest still aches.
"What happens if someone holds onto one too long?" she asks.
Myōga hesitates. "I don't know. But I wouldn't test it." He warns, his tone serious.
Kaede wraps the shard in a blessed cloth, tying it tight with prayer-twined thread.
"We'll keep it in the shrine here, warded," she says. "Until we understand them better."
Sango steps forward. "We need to go back to that village. To the shrine."
Inuyasha nods. "If there's more of this—more damage—it needs to be cleaned up."
Miroku strokes his chin. "And if the shrine's still active, there may be more lingering energy. Maybe even another battle."
Kagome glances between Miroku and Sango, and realizes it has been three days since they have returned. Still feeling off herself, she decides to speak up.
"You two need to go relax and see your family. I'm sure Rin and Kohaku are wanting to see you too." She says. "Inuyasha and I can go back to the village tomorrow morning. Everything should be fine now that the shard isn't near there anymore."
She can see their hesitation, stuck between seeing their children that they've missed so much, or helping them. Miroku gives Sango a look, and she sighs.
"Okay," she gives in, feeling guilty. "But if you need us, please don't hesitate to come get us." She urges.
Inuyasha scoffs. "Keh. We'll be more than fine. I'm going to be there, after all." He says, nodding his head towards Tessaiga to prove his point.
The married couple bid their goodbyes before heading back towards their home.
That night, the village is quiet.
Rin has returned to Kaede's hut to offer the couple some privacy with their family, including Kohaku. Now, Rin and Kaede are peacefully asleep. A fire still crackles softly in Kaede's hut for the ones not asleep.
Kagome sits near the fire, legs tucked beneath her, her hands wrapped around a steaming bowl of tea she hasn't taken a sip of. The warmth seeps into her fingers, but the chill in her chest remains. A blanket is draped around her for good measure, but doesn't seem to help.
Outside, the door creaks. Inuyasha steps in, the night breeze curling around his sleeves before the door quietly swings shut behind him. He glances at her—at the tightness in her shoulders, the way she keeps staring at the flames like they might give her answers.
He sits across from her, arms folded, his expression unreadable. A moment of silence passes, both stuck in their thoughts.
"You should stay here," he says, finally.
Kagome blinks, looking up. "What?"
"You're still not okay," he mutters. "Those shards… they're messing with your head. With your memories—your emotions. It's not safe."
She lets the silence stretch for a beat.
"I'm going," she says.
Inuyasha's brow tightens in frustration. "You don't have to prove anything, Kagome."
She sets the tea down, untouched.
"I didn't come back to sit on the sidelines," she says, voice low but firm. "I came back because I knew something was wrong. And I'm not going to hide every time it gets hard."
His jaw works for a moment—like he wants to argue, like he's already halfway to standing and pacing—but instead, he looks away.
"You could've died today."
"But I didn't." Her voice softens. "And I won't let fear decide what I do next. This journey isn't going to be safe and easy, just like the last one, but I'm not going to stand back and watch when I know I can help. Besides, how do you plan on finding these shards without me?" She challenges, one of her eyebrows raised in question.
Inuyasha doesn't answer right away. His eyes stay fixed on the fire, ears drooping slightly, like the fight's draining out of him even as it starts.
"I just don't want—," he says, so quietly she almost misses it. He crosses his arms with a huff, quickly standing to sit closer to the doorway. "Tch. Forget it. Get some sleep."
Her chest aches. But she doesn't look away.
"Alright," she sighs before standing and stretching. "Goodnight."
The morning comes, and soon after they eat and freshen up, Kagome and Inuyasha reach the village a few hours later. She still can sense something off, so they decide to head straight for the shrine.
Inuyasha walks a step ahead of Kagome as they climb the worn steps, Tessaiga already drawn. "If anything happens," he says, not looking back, "you let me handle it."
"I'm not staying behind," Kagome answers firmly. "Not ever."
He doesn't argue—but the tension in his shoulders doesn't ease.
They climb the steps slowly, the wood groaning beneath their feet despite the calm morning. The air thickens the closer they get to the shrine doors. Kagome's heart pounds, her fingers tightening around her bow.
She pauses at the threshold. The inside is dark, the musty smell almost making her want to sneeze.
Inuyasha steps ahead of her, pushing the door open with his hand. The shrine doors groan open under Inuyasha's hand, the same heavy silence swallowing them as they step inside. The dim light filters in behind them, casting long shadows over the floor. Dust hangs in the air. The scent of incense still clings to the old wood, but beneath it… there's something else now. Damp. Metallic. Like blood left to dry.
And in the center, the pedestal still lays on it's side.
Kagome swallows. "It doesn't feel right in here."
"There's still something," Inuyasha mutters.
Kagomeli steps carefully across the floorboards, bow in hand. Her heart pounds. "It feels stronger," she murmurs. "Like it's been feeding on something."
Inuyasha's ears twitch. "It's hiding."
Kagome now stands diagonally across the room from him, glancing around at the place. "Could it be residue from the shard? A memory echo?"
"Maybe." He responds. Kagome walks toward the pedestal. The spot where she remembers sensing the shard's energy before. "But it feels different now. Colder. Heavier."
She frowns, feeling the heaviness in the air, before stepping carefully around the room. "It's like the shard opened something. And now it won't close."
Just as she says it, a low hum begins to vibrate through the floor. Kagome flinches, instinctively raising her bow.
The air shifts. And then it happens—fast.
The shadows peel itself from the far wall, stretching and twisting, pulling together into a shape. A figure—taller this time, thicker, pulsing like a living bruise. Its limbs are too long. Its eyes burn with something hollow and hungry. It doesn't make a sound. Doesn't need to.
They both move at once.
Inuyasha's Tessaiga transforms mid-strike, cleaving toward the figure. Kagome raises her bow, the purified energy already building at her fingertips. But she's too late.
Something lashes out. Cold fingers grab her ankle—just like before—and yank.
She cries out, falling hard onto the wooden floor as the ground beneath her trembles, the boards cracking and splitting. The shadow wants her again—wants her energy, her memories, her. It pulls at her like it's trying to peel her out of herself.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouts, charging forward, blade raised.
Kagome twists, her hands burning with purifying energy. She fires an arrow point-blank at the shadow's grip.
But the figure doesn't dodge. The blast throws it back, severing its hold—but not destroying it. It lets the attacks strike—and splits apart like smoke.
It reforms, writhing up into a shape that almost looks human—but not quite. Its edges flicker like a bad dream, and its face is blank. Mirror-like.
Kagome scrambles to her feet, breathing hard. "It's not a youkai," she says, voice shaking. "It's a memory. Or… the remains of one."
"Then we get rid of it," Inuyasha growls.
But when he charges, the shadow splits—becoming three. One goes for him. One circles behind Kagome. The third hovers near the pedestal, vibrating with energy.
"They're not real!" Kagome shouts. But her pulse says otherwise.
They can touch. They can hurt.
She fires another arrow. It hits one of the shadow copies—but this time, the light doesn't cleanse it. It fragments it. Pieces scatter like shards of glass—only to rejoin and pull themselves back together seconds later.
Kagome's breath catches. "It's not alive. It's… leftover." She thinks aloud. It's not a solid being. It's made of memory. Residue. Fear.
"It's a remnant of the shard," She says in understanding, watching Inuyasha's form backing toward her. "A memory too strong to fade."
"They're made of emotion," she breathes. "Of pain."
"Then purify the whole place," Inuyasha shouts, his blade slamming into one of the forms with a burst of wind.
Kagome centers herself. Her energy trembles beneath her skin, raw and coiled. She draws another arrow. This time, she focuses on purifying the space itself—not just the creature.
The shrine. The echo. The source. Everything.
She lets go.
Light explodes through the room. It explodes outward—radiant, searing, pure.
The walls rattle. The floor shakes as the echoes collapse in on themselves. The shadows scream—if they can even scream—and then they unravel, pulled apart by the purifying light until it's nothing more than dust and memory.
Silence falls. The room stills.
Kagome stands in the center of the shrine, breathing hard. Her ankle aches. Her hands are shaking.
She exhales, her shoulders dropping. "It wasn't just the shard," she whispers. "It was the pain it left behind."
Inuyasha walks up beside her, glancing around the empty space. "Let's hope that was the last of it."
But there's no answers, because neither of them believe that. Not really.
But the darkness is gone, for now.
They don't speak for a long moment after the light fades.
The air is still again, but heavier somehow—like the shrine is holding its breath, waiting.
Kagome lowers her bow, arms trembling. Her ankle throbs where the shadow had grabbed her, the sensation of that icy grip still clinging to her skin like frostbite.
Inuyasha steps toward her, eyes sweeping over her like he's checking for wounds. His ears twitch. "You okay?"
"I will be." She leans on her bow like a walking stick and gives him a wry smile. "That thing didn't want to let go this time."
He frowns. "It got stronger. Since last time."
Kagome nods slowly. "And smarter. It didn't just attack—it knew where to pull. What to show. That kind of thing doesn't come from nowhere."
She glances back toward the cracked floor of the shrine. The space around the pedestal still glows faintly, like the remnants of her arrow are clinging to something unseen.
"Inuyasha," she says, voice lower now, "what if it's not just feeding off emotions or memories?"
"What else would it want?"
She hesitates. "What if it is a memory?"
He looks at her.
"Something left behind by a shard," she continues. "Something warped and buried. Like… the echo of someone's soul who used it before. Or something the shard absorbed from its surroundings."
Inuyasha doesn't say anything at first.
Then, "If that's true, there's no telling what else those shards left behind."
Kagome's mouth feels dry. "Exactly."
They stay a few minutes longer, scanning for any lingering presence, but the shrine remains still. Empty. At least for now.
When they finally turn back toward the village path, Inuyasha walks closer to her than before—shoulder brushing hers, protective without saying so. Kagome doesn't complain.
They leave the shrine behind as the first rays of sunlight break through the trees.
Whatever happened here—whatever it meant—it's not over.
But they need answers.
The shrine stands quiet behind them, its shadow stretching long in the afternoon light.
The forest is quieter on their way back to the village. Almost even peaceful. Birdsong stirs in the distance, and the wind moves through the trees in slow, gentle waves. Kagome's steps are uneven, and the occasional wince flashes across her face, but she keeps going.
Inuyasha walks beside Kagome, careful not to let her limp too much. She leans on him more than she wants to admit, but her ankle throbs with every step, and she's too tired to argue.
Inuyasha notices. Of course he does.
He slows his pace until he's right beside her again, watching the way her ankle drags just a little more with each step.
Kagome blinks and turns to him. "What's wrong?"
"You should've let me carry you," he mutters under his breath.
"I'm not made of glass," she replies—though her voice is softer than usual. "Besides, we're almost there."
The village comes into view just as the sun dips toward the horizon. Lanterns flicker to life along the path. Several villagers spot them and hurry forward, expressions a mixture of worry and hope.
Compared to the last time they were here, the villagers don't seem as afraid. Maybe they did get rid of the problem after all.
"You returned!"
"And… you're both in one piece!"
Mostly, Kagome thinks, but she smiles anyway.
They're ushered into the elder's house, where they explain what they found—the corrupted shard, the youkai it strengthened, and the shadow that lingered in the shrine. One of the older women clucks her tongue when she sees Kagome's ankle and immediately sets to wrapping it with herbs and cloth.
"You should rest here tonight," the elder says firmly. "It's the least we can do. That shrine has been cursed for weeks, and no one could get near it until now."
Kagome nods, grateful. "Thank you."
That night, she and Inuyasha share a quiet corner of the guesthouse. He stays close, always within arm reach, his ears twitching at every creak of the wind. Kagome doesn't sleep deeply—there's something gnawing at the back of her thoughts.
Something unfinished.
Inuyasha's presence, protective and on guard, is just enough to send her to sleep.
When her eyes flutter open in the morning, she's thoroughly surprised to see a fire going with a pot hovering above it. Something smells good. Inuyasha is sitting in front of her as a shield from the fire's heat.
Sitting up, she can see over his shoulders two fish cooking above the fire as well. A small smile tugs on her lips just as Inuyasha's ears pick up on her movement, and he glances back at her.
"Sleep well?" He asks, turning his attention back to the fire. Kagome covers her mouth as she yawns.
"I guess so. Did you get any sleep?" She questions, crawling forward to now sit next to him. He keeps his eyes focused on the flames.
"I guess so." He mirrors her response. He wasn't going to tell her that he stayed up majority of the night to keep watch. "Food's ready. Let's eat and get back to Kaede's village."
Kagome and Inuyasha stuffed themselves full of fish and rice before grabbing their belongings and leaving. Before they left, Inuyasha bugged her to check on her wrapped ankle, and she was ecstatic to see the swelling, along with the pain, begin to reduce. The pain was still there, but it was manageable enough that she could walk easier.
Leaving the guesthouse, they begin to bid their farewells to villagers along the way. It's subtle, but the moment they pass the shrine on their way to say goodbye to the elder, Kagome feels it.
A pressure in the air.
The kind that hums at the edge of spiritual energy—like a string pulled too tight.
She stops, glancing at Inuyasha. "Do you feel that?"
His ears flick. His hand instinctively goes to Tessaiga's hilt. "Yeah."
The pedestal inside the shrine stands undisturbed. But the moment they step closer, the energy shifts again—wrong. Unnatural. Like something trying to hide behind what's already been broken.
Kagome's breath catches. "It's not the shrine. It's in it."
And just as she speaks the words, the center of the floor begins to creak. That feeling, heavy and bitter, is stronger than it's ever been.
In an instant, Kagome begins to run towards the shrine, Inuyasha following quickly after her. Her mind is immediately thinking of the villagers and keeping them safe, and not the shocking pain she's enduring from each step.
When they reach it, the pedestal splits with a thunderous crack, stone shards exploding outward as a blast of cold air ripples through the shrine. And something bursts out.
Kagome stumbles back, throwing up her arms as dust fills the space. Inuyasha moves faster—he steps in front of her, drawing Tessaiga in one swift motion. The blade transforms with a flash of red light, its energy humming loud and steady.
"What the hell—"
A shadow bursts forth from the ruined pedestal, twisting and convulsing like smoke caught in a storm. But it's heavier this time. Denser. A shape half-formed but more real than before—long limbs, clawed fingers, a shifting mask of something almost human, almost remembered.
It screeches, the sound warping the air around it.
"Inuyasha—!" Kagome's voice strains as she pushes herself upright. Her ankle protests, sharp and hot with pain, but she doesn't stop.
Inuyasha lunges at the creature, slicing through it with Tessaiga. The blade connects—light flares—but the shadow doesn't vanish.
Instead, it splits. Two tendrils break off, one slamming into a nearby wall, the other whipping toward Kagome.
She fires an arrow.
It pierces clean through—but the energy fizzles as the shadow reforms. Her purification still works, but not enough to destroy it.
The creature pulses with that same shard-sickness she felt before. Except this time, there's no jewel shard inside. This… thing is older. Maybe not a shard-bearer—but something the shards woke up.
Maybe something they created.
Kagome narrows her eyes. Her fingers tremble as she draws another arrow. "This isn't just leftover energy. This thing's feeding off what the shard left behind."
It moves faster now, twisting through the shrine like a living fog. Inuyasha leaps after it, but every time he strikes, the shadow dodges at the last second—learning, adapting.
Then it lashes out again. This time, catching Kagome by the arm.
She screams. Not from pain, but from the sensation inside her head.
It's trying to pull something from her. Again. A memory. A thought. A feeling she can't hold onto—like water slipping through fingers.
Inuyasha grabs her, yanking her out of its grip just in time. He pulls her against him, cradling her head as she gasps for air with his empty hand. His other arm is pointing Tessaiga in the direction of the shadow in attempt to keep it at a distance.
"It's going after you," he growls, teeth clenched. "Like before."
Kagome's heart races. "It's… it's drawn to emotion. Maybe that's what the shards warped it into—a spirit that feeds on memory. On grief."
She looks up at him, her voice ragged. "I need to purify it. But I need time."
Inuyasha nods once, his eyes locking with hers—sharp and certain. "Then I'll buy it."
He turns, charging the creature with everything he has—raw strength, fury, speed. Tessaiga blazes with light as he draws on its Wind Scar, the ground cracking beneath his feet.
Kagome drops to her knees, focusing everything she has into her next arrow. Her spiritual energy thrums to life, circling her like a breeze before a storm. She glides her arrow into place, drawing the string back on her bow. The shadow screams again, this time in pain.
Inuyasha lands one final blow, stunning the creature long enough for Kagome to let the arrow fly.
It glows blinding white.
The arrow hits the shadow center-mass—light explodes through the shrine like a firework, ripping the shadow apart piece by piece.
This time, it doesn't re-form. Silence falls. Dust and light drift slowly down.
That heavy, pulling feeling fully vanishes, and they both know it's truly gone now, whatever it was.
Inuyasha lowers his sword. Kagome sags forward with a soft exhale, her hand pressed to her chest, heart pounding.
He rushes to her side in a heartbeat. "You okay?"
She nods, even though tears slip silently down her face. "Yeah. I just… I didn't expect it to feel so heavy. Like I lost something."
Her energy seems low, like using her powers has tired her out. Or when the shadow had touched her, it had drained her, mentally and emotionally.
And the moment Inuyasha notices, he doesn't respond. He just pulls her into his arms and holds her. His jaw clenches, and his chin rests lightly on her hair, grounding her.
"You idiot," he mutters, voice rough. "You didn't even think before you ran in."
The words don't sting. Not when his arms are wrapped around her like that, like he's anchoring both of them in place.
Outside, the sun rises a little higher.
Inside, the shrine finally feels… still.
